


A Little Honey On Smiling Lips

by ISC



Series: Honey [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Canon Disabled Character, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-11-16 04:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11245944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ISC/pseuds/ISC
Summary: 'If Tony’s legs were as enticing in reality as he was led to believe by those tight jeans then Bucky was ready to throw himself on the altar of olive thighs and worship.'Bucky was going todie.It was totally worth it.





	1. Sleeping In Beds With Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel to ['Over The Line, Your Voice Lights Me On Fire',](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10888515) I recommend you read it first.

Bucky gaped, heart thudding in his chest. Tony was breathtaking. Olive skin, wide, gorgeous, honey eyes, wild curls falling around a sharp jaw and elegant neck. Tony was short, but had long legs wrapped in tight jeans. He had inventors hands and the delicate wrists of a pianist. 

_He was going to die._

And it would be totally worth it. 

Bucky was pretty sure he was already half gone on the other guy. 

“You can sit down Tony.”

Laughing, Tony plopped down in the chair across from him, long fingered hands coming up to drum nervously on the table. “So, this is a little awkward.”

Smiling, Bucky pushed his hair behind his ears and scooted his chair forward. “Only a little.” He waved a hand at the teens face and arm. “You okay?”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile sweeping across his lips, making his nose crinkle _adorably_. “Yeah, I mean, mostly. Arm’ll be alright in a while, like, two weeks. What about you? You never mentioned that you’re a cyborg.”

Wincing, Bucky wondered if it was too late to hide his arm under the table. Probably. Mostly. 

He did it anyway.

Flesh hand wrapping around his metal wrist to scoot it under the tabletop, eyes wide in what he hoped was an innocent expression. Across from him, Tony looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“Dude, you look like you gotta pee. Is that supposed to be an innocent face? Cause. You can’t just make your eyes real wide and think it makes you look innocent. Plus. You had your arm on the table. You’re wearing short sleeves! I can still see it! I can pretend I didn’t, if you like. Arm? What arm? All flesh here!”

Blinking, Bucky tilted his head to study his new friend. The teen talked just as fast in person as he did on the phone. Rapid fire and breathlessly. Yeah, Bucky was totally screwed. 

“I’m just, it’s new, mostly. I’m still getting used to it.”

Tony perked up, amber eyes bright as he stared at the metal bicep. “Is it Hammer Tech? I kept telling Howard we needed to get in the prosthetic game. Hammer Tech is trash, don’t get me wrong, Justin has some great ideas but he’s too unmotivated to follow through. His dad always holds him back anyhow. How does it work? How are the relays? Does it lag? Do you have sensation? It looks like it’s made out of weapon grade steel. Is it as heavy as it looks?”

Frowning down at the metal hand in his lap, Bucky glanced up at those ridiculous eyes again before dragging it back up to drop heavily on the table between them. Tony never asked why he had the arm, what happened to bring him here. It was amazing. Tony was amazing. 

“I’m not sure how it works, really, I know it’s attached to some nerves. I was supposed to have sensation, but mostly it feels like someone touching your arm when it’s asleep, you know? It lags like crazy, I have to concentrate to get it to move almost as fast as my normal arm. I don’t know if it’s weapon grade, but they did say it was steel.It’s pretty heavy. I’ve mostly gotten used to it though.”

Reaching forward, Tony hovered over the arm with his hands, eyes questioning. 

“Go ahead. Ya can’t hurt it.”

“Well, I can hurt you Bucky, and that is just as important. You sure?”

Swallowing thickly, Bucky jerked his head in a semblance of a nod. “Yeah.”

Tony ran his fingertips over the arm, lightly, dancing over the plates and bolts. “I can see where he was going with the design. This is so obviously Justin. He was a few years ahead of me at MIT, he was good. But he’s always been an idea man, not so much of a finisher. He’d be great as a lead designer in an R&D department. It’s a pity that he’s gonna take over for his dad and struggle to keep up.”

Tony peered up at Bucky through his eyelashes, his smile making Bucky’s heart flutter. “One day I’d really like to take a real look at this, that alright?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Hammer Tech is leading prosthetics right now. I heard they even have a new hearing aid that is on par with cochlear implants with their tech. It’s some pretty impressive stuff.”

“Yeah, my friend, Clint, he’s got one of those. They helped a lot, but he says they… glitch? I think. They squeal sometimes, and sometimes they short out when he uses the phone. They shocked him, once, scared the shit outta him. He only uses them at work now.”

“Wait wait wait wait. They shocked him? Seriously?”

Frowning at the glare Tony had on his face, Bucky nodded. “Yeah, once. You alright?”

“No! No I’m not alright! The damage that an inner ear shock could do to the already delicate nervous system of a person with hearing disablement is astronomical! Jesus. Tell me he called Hammer Tech and got it looked at?”

“Uh, well, he called them. But they apparently scrapped the prosthetic line, so…”

“So they won’t fix it?”

“Uh. Not so much. No.”

“I need to meet him.”

“What? Who?”

“Him! What’s his name… Clint! I need to meet Clint. Those are his ears Bucky. His _ears_. You can’t fuck around with that. I have some tools with me, and my phone, so I can probably, definitely, fix them. I need to meet Clint so I can fix his ears.”

Blinking, Bucky floundered for something to say, the disbelief clogging his throat. Tony was a good person. It was a little incredible. More than a little actually. It was astounding, the generosity, the compassion Tony was putting forward for someone he didn’t know. A friend of a person he had just met. 

“Tony, you don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I absolutely do! C’mon! Up!” Tony jumped up, chair skittering back “Up Buckaroo!”

“Tony…” Jerking up, Bucky stumbled as Tony yanked him out of the coffee shop. “Tony, slow down fella. You don’t even know where you’re going.”

Bucky wheezed as he slammed into Tony’s, now still, back, lungs constricting. The shorter man spun around, eyes wide. “I totally knew that! Right. Lead on Buck.”

Shaking his head, Bucky didn’t try to fight the grin that pulled at his mouth. “You really don’t have to do this Tony.”

Standing up on his tiptoes, Tony slung his arm around Bucky’s shoulders, teeth gleaming against the split on his lip. “Of course I do Sugar. We’re talking about a man’s ears here. Those are important. They’re for listening.”

Chuckling softly, Bucky swooped his arm around Tony’s waist, swinging them around and leading them down the street. “Alright, ears. We can do.”

“So, Buckarooni, tell me about yourself. I’ve already seen your pretty metal arm, and I know you’re a vet, but I don’t know you. What do you do for fun? What do you do for work? Special skills? Special person?”

“Well. I, uh, work on cars for fun. And for work too. I’m mostly on disability but there’s this shop a friend of ours owns that I work at under the table. Um. I was a sniper, in the army, so that’s my special skill I guess. No _special_ person, but I got people. Stevie, he’s my best friend, and my roommate, he was in the military with me. Served with me. His girlfriend Peggy was too. Um, there’s Natasha, scariest woman on the planet, she freelances as a bodyguard and does some small town MMA on the side for extra cash. Um, she’s dating Clint. Clint teaches concealed carry classes and owns a gun range downtown. Uh… Sam, he’s also a vet, he is a therapist, I guess. He works with soldiers and PTSD victims. Thor is big and Australian and hilarious. He’s a kindergarten teacher, his fiancee Jane is a scientist. Uh… that’s it, I think.”

Leaning his head back against Bucky’s shoulder, Tony shot the older man a brilliant smile, eyes bright. “That sounds like a great group of people! I’m glad you have so many friends.”

Twisting, Bucky bumped his hip against Tony, smiling when Tony bumped him back. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, I mean, in your, uh, messages, you mentioned a Bruce and a Rhodey? Who’re they?”

“Oh! Well Rhodey is my best friend! Platypus and I…”

“Platypus?”

Laughing, nearly giggling, Tony hid his face in Bucky’s armpit for a moment, body shaking with glee. “Yes, Platypus. Don’t interrupt Buck-a-boo! Platipus and I met in MIT, we started at the same time, we were assigned dorm-mates. Rhodey is tall and handsome and brilliant and gonna be a great dad one day. He’s pretty much the reason I survived school. I used to be a pretty big partier. Older kids kinda got a kick outta the baby of MIT getting fucked up. It was pretty uncool of me. He used to pull me out of it all and get me going again. Anyway, he is in the Air Force now. I’m so proud of him. He’s very happy. 

“And Brucie-bear! Oh he’s just brilliant! He is going to change the world with his work in Gamma Radiation. He’s trying to find ways to counter the effects of radiation poisoning. He’s even got notes on some new cancer treatments. It’s all incredible. Bruce and I met a few years ago, he applied to an entry-level position at Stark Industries. I snapped him up before dear old dad could get his claws in that big, beautiful brain. I helped him get in with Dr. Reed Richards, he could do some actual work there. With the new water purification filter we finished he will finally have enough money to open his own lab. I’m as proud of him as I am of Platypus. It’s just, incredible. They’re both incredible.”

“They sound amazing.”

“They are.” The smile Tony shot Bucky was small, sweet, full of pride. “I’m pretty excited to meet your friends too.”

Bucky froze, Tony jerking to a stop beside him. “Oh, shit.”

Raising his eyebrows, Tony’s smile turned wicked, _and oh wasn’t that wicked grin something to see_. “You didn’t tell them you were meeting me, did you?”

“It… might have slipped my mind.”

Cackling, Tony’s head tilted back, eyes crinkling adorably. “Oh lord, Bucks! That’s just, amazing. If your friend Stevie is anything like my Rhodey then you are gonna get such a damn lecture!”

Bucky groaned, chin dropping as he started trudging forward at a much slower pace. “Oh, Stevie is gonna give me The Look. And probably a lecture. And he’s not gonna say it but he’s gonna be so disappointed. Oh no! He’s gonna give me The Disappointed Look!” Wailing with exaggeration, Bucky pitched sideways and draped himself over his new friend. 

“Ooof! Oh my god! Get off you lumberjack!” Laughing, Tony shoved at Bucky, batting at his butt with his broken hand, cast thumping, painless, against him. “Jesus, what do you eat?”

“Tony!” Grinning, Bucky whined, letting his weight press down a little more on the smaller man. “Tooooony! Stevie is gonna lecture me. Then he’s gonna lecture you! It’s gonna be so awful!”

Tony whacked at Bucky’s butt again, cast thumping loudly, drowning under the sound of their laughter. “Get off me you dork! Gosh, if you wanted to get ontop of me all you had to do was ask!”

Laughing, Bucky stood upright and slung his arm around Tony’s shoulders. “Alright, alright, c’mon.”

Giggling, Tony wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist, squeezing him in a silly hug. “So, tell me more about you and ‘Stevie’. Have you known him a long time?”

“Oh yeah, forever really. Stevie’s ma’ and mine were friends, we were pretty much raised together.”

“Yeah? So, grew up together, went to school together, army together, now you live together? You two must really get along. That’s kind of incredible.”

“Yeah, I mean. We fight, a lot, about everything. But. At the end of the day it’s Stevie and me against everything. It’ll be weird, when he and Pegs eventually get married and he moves out. But, we’ll still be close. They’ve already said they were probably going to try for the apartment next door.”

“Thats. Wow. You’re really lucky Buck.”

“Yeah, I am. Anyway. We’re here!”

Waving a hand at the building, Bucky grinned at Tony’s delighted face. “It’s brick!”

Laughing, Bucky yanked him forward and up the stairs, laugh rumbling when Tony hollered out a delighted “Stairs!”. 

“Bucky.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s summer.”

“Yeah.”

“Why is there a Christmas wreath on your door?”

“‘Member how I said Stevie and I still fight about everything?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we couldn’t remember whose turn it was to take down the wreath.”

“So you left it up for 6 months?”

“Um. Eighteen.”

“What?”

“We couldn’t remember two Christmases ago. Not last Christmas.”

“So. You just. Left it up.”

“Yup.”

“For almost two years?”

“Yup.”

“Well. I guess it will be Christmas again in a few months.”

“Exactly!” Throwing his hand out, Bucky smiled at Tony’s disbelieving look before pulling him inside the apartment. “C’mon.”

Steve was sitting on the couch, pizza frozen halfway to his mouth as he stared openly at Tony, and Bucky’s arm around his shoulders. “Buck?”

“Hey Punk. This is Tony. Tony, Stevie.”

Dropping the slice, Steve jumped up, greasy fingers were wiped down the thighs of his jeans as he stepped forward with his hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

Bucky watched Tony shake his best friends hand, body practically vibrating with _something_ he couldn’t define. 

“You too. I’ve heard a lot.”

“Oh gosh. I hope it was all good.”

“Some of it.”

Grinning, Steve dropped a heavy hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Now, Buck, what’s going on?”

“Um, so. This is Tony, from the voicemails. We, uh, met up. And he’s gonna help Clint with his hearing aids. And. Um. Maybe, possibly, stay here for a while after he graduates.” 

“Yeah?”

Bucky locked eyes with his friend before pointedly turning his head to look at the fingerprints on Tony’s throat. Steve narrowed his eyes, concern drawing his eyebrows together. “Yes.”

Tony looked between them with raised eyebrows. “You know, I never wanted to be the meat in a sexy soldier sandwich until right this moment.”

Freezing, Steve’s eyes went wide as he blushed tomato red. Bucky just grinned, arms snaking around his friend's waist. “Hear that Stevie? Always knew you were wonderbread. “

Sputtering, Steve flopped a big hand on his friend’s face and shoved. “Shaddap!”

Laughing, Bucky high fived Tony and wandered over to the box of pizza on the coffee table. “Anyway, where’s Clint?”

“Should be back in a while. He went home to grab some more clothes before they tent the building. Tony, have some pizza.”

Smiling at Steve, Tony ambled over and plopped down on the arm of the couch next to Bucky, hip bumping against his shoulder. He reached down, fingers wrapping around Bucky’s wrist to guide the other man’s pizza to his own mouth. “Why are they putting a tent on his building?”

Bucky grinned, Tony’s chipmunk cheeks were charming. “He’s got roaches.”

“Pardon?”

Laughing, Bucky snaked an arm around the teens waist, yanking him down onto his lap so he could feed him his pizza. Weirdly, he didn’t find anything strange about this intimacy. Normally, Bucky struggled with this kind of thing. Being touchy with people. Last time a stranger had hugged him he had nearly decked her, skin crawling. But Tony. Tony was like his eyes, warm honey. He felt good under Bucky’s arm when the walked here. He felt great with his arms around Bucky’s waist in a hug. He felt amazing in Bucky’s lap with body warm under Bucky’s arms.

For his part, Tony preened, body slumping back against Bucky’s chest as he fed him. “This is just like a dream I had once.” 

Steve plonked down beside his friend, snagging another slice of pizza as he went, embarrassment forgotten as he smirked at Bucky. “Yeah, you fantasize about a soldier feeding you pizza?”

Tony shifted around until he was turned, back leaning partially against Bucky’s shoulder and partly on the arm of the couch so he could smirk at Steve as he wagged his eyebrows. “Don’t you? I did hear your lady love is a soldier.”

Bucky laughed as Steve sputtered, again. “Oh god, can we keep him Stevie?”

Steve just smiled, eyes glowing as he watched Bucky feed the younger man pizza. “Yeah. I think we gotta.”

“Hola bros!” The door slammed open, making the three of them jump as Clint and Natasha came barreling in, cartons of Chinese food in their arms. “Whoa! Newbie!”

Twisting, Tony smiled around his mouth full of pizza, hands lifting to sign. ‘I’m Tony, Bucky’s friend.”

Grin widening, Clint tossed his Chinese food at Natasha, nearly tripping as he hopped up on the coffee table to sit down in front of Tony. ‘Hi! I’m Clint! That beauty is Natasha. Are you the Tony from the phone?’

‘Yes.’

‘Excellent! What happened to your arm dude?’

‘Nothing, just a fracture. Bucky said you had some Hammer Tech in your ears.’

‘I do. Little glitchy but mostly good.’

‘Awesome! Can I look at them? I can probably fix them.’

‘No offence dude, but how can I trust that? These are irreplaceable now that HT isn’t doing prosthetics any more.’

‘I’m Tony Stark, I promise. If I can’t fix it I can replace it.’

Staring at him, Clint nodded slowly before reaching up and removing the ear bud hearing aids. 

Tony smiled at Bucky before sliding down to sit on the floor between Bucky’s knees, hands taking the hearing aids with reverence. ‘You alright without these for a few?’

‘Yeah, I’ll let you know if I need them back.’

Grinning, Tony pulled a bundle out of his pocket, a black bandana wrapped around a set of razor thin tools. Leaning against Bucky’s knee, Tony turned his focus on the hearing aids and proceeded to ignore everyone else in the room. 

-oo00oo-

Bucky laughed along with Thor as Clint mimed out another ridiculous prompt from charades. Natasha tried to maintain her stoic face as her boyfriend wiggled his hips around the room, shaking his head ‘no’ at every guess being shouted out. 

Peggy threw a handful of popcorn over at Thor from her perch on the back of the couch by Steve’s head. “Hula Dancer!”

Shaking his head again, Clint lept up onto the table gracefully, not even shaking the tools Tony had by his hands. Crossing his arms, he wiggled his hips again and shimmied. 

“Zsa Zsa Gabor.” Heads whipped sideways at the quiet answer from the floor. Tony had been silently working for nearly two hours, his phone connected to the hearing aids with little wires that no one could figure out where they came from. 

“Ja!” Clint clapped and pointed at Tony with a simple. ‘Yes.’

Bucky watched as Tony smiled up at the group, seemingly unphased by the new people in the room. Climbing to his his feet to stretch his back out, he handed the aids back to Clint. ‘Try them out.’

Bucky watched Tony stretch as Clint slid the aids back in. Eyes drawn to the olive skin around his hips when the shorter man lifted his arms up over his head with a groan. “How do they feel?”

Blinking, Clint smiled. “They’re slimmer! And there’s no lag or static! Damn boy, you do magic!”

Bucky watched Tony as he bent forward to roll his tools back up, smiling when he plopped himself back down on Bucky’s lap. “They shouldn’t shock you ever again either. There was a crack in the waterproofing. I eliminated it. They also won’t short out or give you static feedback. I fixed that vibration problem too. When I’m back in school next semester I’ll make you a new pair, silicone instead of hard plastic. They’ll fit better and I can even match your skintone if you like.”

Clint stared, jaw dropping as his smile slipped away. “You’d do that? For me?”

Wiggling in Bucky’s lap, Tony shot a grin over his shoulder before turning his smile on Clint. Bucky wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist, dragging him back so he could hook his chin over the shorter man’s shoulder. “Of course man. You’ll have to give me your number. And I’ll need to measure your ears, or make molds. You guys have gelatin? I can make a prosthetic mold with that.”

“You… I…” Jumping down from the table, Clint leapt into Tony’s arms, squashing Bucky into the couch with the enthusiasm of his hug. “Thank you! Really! You have no idea how much this means to me!”

Bucky watched the smiled light up Tony’s face, breath catching at the happy glow to his face. “It’s no problem Clint. Really.”

“Dude!” Leaning back, Clint beamed at Tony before hopping over to Natasha to shove his ear into her face. “Look!”

-oo00oo-

Bucky waved at Thor as the last of their friends tromped out, even Clint left with Natasha, pausing long enough to kiss Tony on the cheek before dancing out of the door behind his girlfriend. Steve stretched, jaw cracking as he yawned.

“I’m out guys.” Rubbing his knuckles over Bucky’s hair, Steve dropped a kiss on top of Tony’s head before ambling off toward his bedroom. “Night guys!”

Tony twisted in his lap, arm coming up to wrap around Bucky’s neck. “It’s pretty late. I should probably head out and get a cab.”

Tightening his arms around the teens waist, Bucky shifted his hips and smiled when Tony laughed. “How about you just stay? You gonna be missed?”

“Well, no. Howard and mamma are in Paris for the next 10 days.”

“I thought you said you went back to school in, like, 13 days.”

“I do.”

Frowning, Bucky tried to keep the angry expression off his face. “But. You go to college in a different state. Didn’t they want to see you at all before you went back?”

Tony’s smile turned sad, bitter almost. “I only come home because Howard wouldn’t let me get an apartment by MIT, I have to room at school. Mamma does a lot of charity work, she’s not home much. Dad just…” Tony paused, unbroken hand coming up to brush over the bruises on his throat. “Howard doesn’t give a damn what I do.”

“Well, stay here then. You can stay the whole time they’re gone. Go back when they get home. Stay here. With me.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“You can borrow.”

“Toothbrush?”

“We’ve got extras, we always keep some on hand.”

“Where will I sleep?”

“You can have my bed, I can sleep out here.”

“Buck, no! I’ll sleep out here!”

“So you’ll stay?”

Tony laughed. “Maybe.”

“Close enough!” Yanking Tony around in his lap, Bucky pulled the shorter man’s knee across his stomach so he was straddling him on the couch. “Then you can share the bed with me.”

Grinning wickedly, Bucky stood up, arms flexing around Tony’s waist. “Let’s go!”

Tony laughed, head dropping forward against Bucky’s shoulder as his legs tightened around his waist. “You’re ridiculous!”

Bucky dropped Tony on the bed so he could rummage through the drawers for something that would almost, kinda fit the engineer. “I got something you can wear, hang tight dollface.”

Tossing a shirt over his shoulder, Bucky smiled at Tony’s indignant squawk when it landed on his head. “Put that on, gimme a minute and I’ll find you some pants.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I usually just sleep in a shirt.”

Bucky froze, hand hovering over his drawers. _Just a shirt?_ Good Lord. Bucky was going to die tonight. Clearing his throat, he shot what he hoped was a cocky smirk over his shoulder and headed toward the door. “You change, I’ll go brush my teeth and scrounge up another toothbrush.”

Tony muttered in agreement as Bucky shuffled out, head down and his own pajama pants clutched in his hands. If Tony’s legs were as enticing in reality as he was led to believe by those tight jeans then Bucky was ready to throw himself on the altar of olive thighs and worship.

Shaking his head, Bucky changed and brushed his teeth at lightning speed, remembering to grab a new toothbrush from under the counter before heading back down the hall, shirt twisting in his hands. The scars on his shoulder didn’t usually bother him, but he usually slept alone. 

He didn’t know Tony that well, but he didn’t think the teen would be the judgemental type. Even if he was, then fuck him, right? Bucky wasn’t ashamed, he hadn’t been ashamed in months. And he’d be damned if he let some 18-year-old _punk_ make him feel shitty again. He went through therapy for months!

Scowling, Bucky was practically snarling as he shoved his way back into the room, hackles raised, ready to spit venom. He opened his mouth, halfway to insulting Tony before the younger man could start on him and his _scars_ when the words died in his throat. Tony was stretched out on his stomach on Bucky’s bed, legs bare and sprawled out over the covers, black boxers bunched up around his hips as he poked at the books stacked on the nightstand. 

_”Hnnnng”_ The choked sound had Tony twisting, sheepish smiled on his face as he dropped the book in his hand. 

“Hey! We’ve got similar taste in… Hello muscles! Where were you hiding those all evening Buckaroo?”

Bucky gulped, eyes glued to Tony’s face as he openly ogled the bare chest. “Uh… Huh?”

Tony jumped up, eyes roving over Bucky’s chest with open appreciation. Appreciation that turned curious when he got to the metal arm, and the scars. “So it connects at the shoulder? Ouch Bucks.” Stepping closer, Tony bent down and rolled up onto his tiptoes. “Can I look closer? Is that too nosey?”

Blinking, Bucky shrugged a little before moving his arm out away from his body. “Y’can look. I guess.”

Leaning closer, Tony hovered around the arm, warm eyes peering up through his eyelashes. “Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“S’alright.”

Bucky watched as Tony reached out to touch at where flesh met metal, his chest tight and tingly when warm fingers brushed over the scars with the same curiosity as when the brushed over the bolts. “This has such potential for greatness. I really need to call Justin and compliment him. It’s always hard with our fathers pitting us against each other, they’ve never liked the fact that we get along. Pity too, when we were younger we wanted to go into business together, before family obligations reared their ugly heads.”

Bucky made an agreeing noise, hoping to prompt Tony into talking more. The engineer had a whiskey rough voice when he got passionate, it shot straight through Bucky’s gut like lightning.

“Justin’s got a good heart, he means well, but he worries too much about people liking him. His dad always treats him like a kid, so he always tries too hard to be seen as an adult by everyone. Kind of sad, really. He’d be so likable if he let that go. And this? It’s incredible. The advancements he’s made in motor function are pretty notable. I’d love to see his original blueprints.”

Bucky held his breath as Tony leaned close, black curls tickling his chin as he moved to peer closer at the connection. “I feel like a more flexible metal would really help your balance. This has got to really hurt when it’s hot outside and you swell. If it does, I recommend a cool cloth in a baggie. You don’t want ice, it will just ache differently. The best solution, of course, is a massage. Something to relieve the tension in your back and neck.”

“Yeah?”

Bucky watched, breath in his throat, as Tony gently dug his fingers into the flesh around the metal joint. Groaning, Bucky sagged against the touch, body going lax and loose. “Oh god.”

“Feel good?”

Humming, Bucky nodded his head, eyes sliding shut when those fingers moved around the joint with skill, digging into the scars and flesh, loosening knots he didn’t know he had until now. “Don’t stop, _God_ , don’t stop.”

“C’mon you big lug, sit down so I can get a better angle. Let’s get this tension out.”

Bucky shuffled forward so he could plop his ass down, body loose and sleepy as Tony hopped up on his knees beside him on the bed and started to dig in with both hands. 

They were quiet, save for Bucky’s occasional groan of appreciation. Tony worked his way around the joint, up his neck and down his back with mind-numbing skill. “Where’d you learn to do this?”

“Took a class, Rhodey had an accident last year so I learned to do this so I could help him when he throws his back out.”

“It’s a good skill.”

Bucky moaned outright when he felt Tony run his palm up his spine, back arching slightly at the touch. “It’s a really good skill.”

“Your shoulder feel better?”

Lifting his head, Bucky smirked at the red flush to Tony’s cheeks as he rolled his shoulder, happily noting how good he felt. “Yeah, I do. Thank you Doll.”

Bucky hid his delight when Tony ducked his head, face bright red, lips pulled taut in a surprised, bashful smile. “Ima go brush my teeth.”

The teen lept to his feet and all but ran from the room, red face ducked. Bucky chuckled as he watched him go, chest feeling lighter than it had in years. The other man was something else, something special, Bucky decided to keep him, for as long as he could. 

Twisting, Bucky buried himself under his blanket, body stretching out as he waited for Tony. His attraction was fast on it’s way to becoming a full blown crush. 

Who was he trying to kid?

Crush? He was _gone_ on Tony. After only a few hours, he knew he wanted to be with Tony. He wanted the other man to move in and live in Bucky’s bed and be there in the mornings and see if he had bed head. He wanted to know what it was like when Tony was in a bad mood. He wanted to have stupid arguments with him and learn some of the techno babble that spewed out of his mouth. He wanted to go to sleep with Tony in his arms, tucked under his chin. 

Sighing, Bucky smoothed the blanket around his waist, trying to soothe the nervous fidget of his hands. He wasn’t going to jump, but he was going to gently ask Tony to stay with them for the rest of his summer vacation. He would start there. The rest needed to wait until after Tony graduated. He wouldn’t be the reason Tony was distracted in his last few months of school. 

After he graduated, Bucky decided. After Tony graduated, when he came back to stay with them while he figured his life out. That was when he’d tell him. Nodding to himself, Bucky looked up and watched Tony shuffle back into the room, eyes soft and warm as he stretched his hands up, yawning. 

Bucky held his breath as Tony climbed over his lap, settling down beside him. Laughing, Bucky lifted his arms up as Tony squirmed his way under the blanket and curled up beside him, head resting on his chest. “C’mon Buck, don’t leave me hanging, wrap that glorious metal arm around me and snuggle like the soldier you claim to be.”

Snorting, Bucky settled his arm around the smaller man and tugged him close. “Alright, alright. Settle down!” Tony’s knee slid over his thigh, fist curling on his chest as he settled down. 

“Mmm, I may never leave. You’re warm.”

“You don’t have t’go.”

“Hm?”

“Y’can stay. I want you to stay actually. Just until you gotta go home. Get comfortable here so after you graduate you might actually consider my offer of you living here. Stevie likes you, told me so when you were working on Hawk’s ears. Says he thinks you fit in pretty good. I think so too. We want you to stay with us. I want you to stay. If you want to, that is.”

Blushing, Bucky threw his free arm up over his eyes, trying not to groan at his own buffoonery. 

“Okay.”

Freezing, Bucky slit his arm up so he could peer down at his new friend. Tony was staring up at him with a small grin, eyes bright. “Huh?”

“I said ‘okay’. I’d love to stay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I like it here. I like you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! Of course!”

“Oh. Well. I like you too.”

Bucky watched the red flushed Tony’s face, mouth dry with _want_. Tony was _beautiful_ , how was he going to survive the next few months? Licking his lips, Bucky smiled down at Tony before settling back. “Well, good. You stay. I like you. You like me. Now go to sleep.”

Bucky shivered as Tony laughed, breath tickling his chest. He could wait four months. 

Tony burrowed tighter into Bucky’s chest, lips resting right over his nipple, breath hot and tantalizing. Bucky closed his eyes and thought of warm honey eyes, metal fingers tightening over Tony’s ribs, smiling when Tony moaned softly. 

_He was going to die._


	2. And The Moon Will Chase The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a moment Bucky was breathless, caught up in how _right_ Tony looked with messy hair, Bucky’s too large tee-shirt hanging off one bare shoulder, bare legs swinging while he helped Steve cook. It was something he never knew he wanted until just now. His head was stuffy with sleep, eyes bleary, mouth dry and all he could do was look.

Bucky stumbled awake in warmth amidst the embrace of one of the most erotic dreams of his life. He had dreamt of honey eyes and warm thighs and olive skin and a laugh that lit him up from the inside. Groaning, Bucky couldn’t stop the roll of his hips as he pushed into the source of the warmth in his bed. The slight friction set sparks off behind his eyes, pushing him more into wakefulness as he rolled into the body in his bed. He was rutting up against the other person fingers snaking up to wrap around jutting hips, a tired moan building in his chest. He was moving to push his knee forward before yesterday came slamming back into him like a freight train. 

Tony! 

Eyes flying open, Bucky froze, hands tight around Tony’s hips, his body, and erection, curved along the smooth back and firm, round, _glorious_ ass. Holding his breath, Bucky felt an embarrassed flush sweep over him. Shifting, Bucky tried to pull back without waking Tony only to moan, loud and rough when the shorter man shifted back into him. 

“Mornin’ Buck.”

_Oh god_. Tony’s morning voice was thick and heady like molasses, and it _did things_ to Bucky. “Morning Tony.”

Bucky nearly swallowed his tongue when Tony wriggled, hips rolling against Bucky. “Hmm, is that a wake up call I’m feeling?”

Mortified, Bucky buried his face in Tony’s hair, groaning in embarrassment. “Shaddup.”

“Why Bucky, how indecent of you!”

“Shaddup!”

Twisting in his arms, Tony wiggled and gyrated until he was burrowing into Bucky’s chest. Face to face, Tony grinned up at him, hair messy and eyes bright. The air was punched out of his lungs when Tony twisted again and rolled his hips forward, pressing himself flush against Bucky, his erection pushing up against Bucky’s. “What a lovely wake up call this is.”

Tightening his arms, Bucky groaned, low and deep as he slid his thigh up between Tony’s legs, body seeking out the warmth that surrounded the other man. Tony gasped, eyes screwing shut as he jerked in Bucky’s arms, legs creeping up, knees bracketing around Bucky’s hips. Fisting his hands in Tony’s shirt, Bucky moaned, thigh pushing higher, tighter against the shorter man’s body. 

Tony was an inferno. Scorching a long line of delicious heat against Bucky’s body, and he was helpless against it. He jerked his hips against Tony, seeking that sweet friction, something primal driving his thigh _higher, tighter, heavier_ against The length of Tony’s erection. His heart stopped at the noise he forced out of Tony, the high pitched keening that he wanted to memorize and keep forever. 

Tony was relentless, fingers from his unbroken hand snagging at Bucky’s chest, waist, back, scrambling and frantic in a way that had Bucky twisting and turning after him. They rutted together, mouths agape for a long moment before Tony surged up and captured Bucky’s lips in a searing, _sinful_ kiss that had Bucky panting into his mouth. Bucky had always thought he was well practiced in bed, particularly before his time overseas, but his skill pales in comparison to Tony’s obvious talent. 

Good god, _that tongue_ , it was going to ruin him. 

Bucky pushed back, intent on catching Tony up the same way Bucky was caught up. Wanting him to feel as mixed up and relentless and passionate and _ohmygodmoreyesplease_ like Bucky. They moaned together, hips moving in symmetry, delicious, amazing friction rolling between them, lighting Bucky up from the inside. He pulled back to press fevered kisses along Tony’s brow and forehead, shifting up to bury his face in Tony’s hair and just, _breathe_ him. 

Tony keened again, that high pitched, desperately wordless plea that Bucky was viscerally drawn too. Bucky jerked harder, pressed firmer. Tony moaned before stretching to press his lips, hot and moist, against the curve of Bucky’s jaw as he moaned. _”Gods, Bucky.”_

Tony’s voice was pure whiskey, sending shivers down his spine, wringing through Bucky like an echo. Something nagged at him, a sliver of guilty conscience that pushed against him, striking through the haze of lust and want and passion. A thought that jolted to the forefront of Bucky’s mind when Tony moaned against his jaw, hot whiskey words snaking against Bucky’s Skin _”Oh, Christ, Bucky! Don’t stop. God. Don’t stop “_

Words that jolted through him with a litany of _yesyesyes_. Before that nagging feeling swept back in, and Tony’s age and near suicide and unsteady relationships came roaring to the forefront of his mind Bucky froze in shock when his mind started to catch up with his body. Bucky forced himself to still his hips, shame coursing through him. He wanted Tony, gods did he want Tony. But, he couldn’t. Not yet, not _now_. Tony wasn’t in the right headspace to do this. Hell, Bucky wasn’t in the right headspace to do this! He’d just met Tony, he wanted to get to know Tony, he wanted… He wanted _Tony_. 

He wanted long nights and early mornings with Tony. He wanted dates and dinners and dancing. He wanted daily phone calls and texts. He wanted to tell Tony about his day and hear about Tony’s. Bucky wanted to begin and end his day like this, wrapped around the enticing sweetness that was Tony. And damn, wasn’t that the most terrifying thing? They’d just barely met and here he was, ready to see forever in those honey brown eyes. It was the fastest his heart had ever beat in his ribcage, and he’d once been in the middle of an explosion. 

Sucking in a deep breath, Bucky relaxed his arms and snaked his hands down, rubbing soothing circles in Tony’s hips. “Tony, ah, gods, Tony… Sweet thing, we need to cool it, yeah?”

Jerking back, Tony stared up at Bucky, face flushing red. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry! Damn, damn, I’m sorry!”

Bucky held on as Tony tried to scramble back, fingers rubbing along the sharp ridges of his hipbones. “No, no sweet thing. Tony, love, I promise, it’s not that.”

Twisting, Bucky watched, horrified, as Tony buried his face in his hands, honey eyes wet with tears. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have assumed! I’ll leave, I promise, just… Just let me go.”

Hanging on while Tony bucked again, Bucky leaned down and buried his face in his hair, lips pressing fevered, desperate kisses against Tony’s scalp. “No Tony, that’s not it. I want you. _God_ do I want you. You’re gorgeous, sweet, funny, intelligent and just, gosh, _everything_ I could want. But, we can’t just jump into something like this. You’ve got another semester of school coming up, and you had a rough time of it lately. I just. If we do this, _when we do this_ , I don’t want anything to go wrong. I want us to use both feet going forward, y’know?”

Tony stopped fighting to get away but he didn’t lift his face from his hands, shoulders shaking. Bucky felt like a monster. Wiggling down, Bucky ducked his chin and nudged at the smaller man. “Tony, sweet thing? Look at me babe.”

A muffled, tearful ‘no’ whispered out from between oil stained hands and Bucky had to fight down a smile. Leaning close, Bucky singsonged a soft _**“Tony.”**_

“No.”

_**”Sweet thing.”**_ Skirting his fingers up, across Tony’s ribs, Bucky grinned full out when Tony laughed, hands dropping to grab at Bucky’s wrists. “Oh, are we ticklish?”

“No! Bucky!” Squealing, Tony twisted around, laughter lighting up his face like sunshine. “Bucks! Quit it!”

Laughing, Bucky wrapped his arms around Tony again, wiggling them both back in forth to encourage Tony’s delighted giggling. “I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t want you, want this. I do, dollface. Trust me. I just think we need to make sure we are both ready when it happens. I didn’t even plan on telling you any of this until after you graduated, but, gosh doll. You mix me up so quick.”

Tony looked up at him through his eyelashes, something inside of Bucky cracked, broke free and Bucky took a deep breath, the first one in what felt like years. Licking his lips, Bucky leaned down and pressed a feather soft kiss to Tony’s mouth, heart in his throat.

Tony had a soft expression, eyes bright. “I mix you up?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Smiling, Tony pressed a kiss to Bucky’s cheek before burrowing back down. “Good.”

-oo00oo-

Bucky woke up a second time dreaming about bacon. A dream that was fast on its way to reality if the smell in the air was any indication. Lifting his head, Bucky wiped the drool off his cheek and turned to the empty space beside him. 

‘Where was Tony?’

Rambunctious laughter from the kitchen had Bucky climbing out of bed and ambling down the hallway. He found his wayward bedmate in the kitchen with his best friend, cooking breakfast and giggling like school children. Steve was carefully, painstakingly pouring pancake batter into a perfect circle in the skillet while Tony sat, legs dangling, on the counter beside the stove. After each perfectly round pancake was poured, Tony would lean over and delicately drop and handful of blueberries into the cooking batter.

Stopping, Bucky leaned against the doorway and watched for a minute. Steve was still the most openly generous and kind person Bucky had ever known. With the way he ran into things to help people and would, literally, give you his shirt if you needed it. Steve was sweet and loving, kind and considerate and would one day make an exceptional father. Bucky watched as Steve waved his spatula around, regaling Tony with an animated story from their youth, when they had been young and dumb and willing to just about anything to one up eachother. 

Tony was alternating between dropping berries into the pan and popping them in his mouth, eyes sparkling with warmth. He giggled at Steve’s exaggerated gesticulation, legs swinging. The light shone through the window behind Tony, lighting him up from behind. His dark hair shining chestnut brown, honey eyes glowing in the earling morning light. 

For a moment Bucky was breathless, caught up in how _right_ Tony looked with messy hair, Bucky’s too large tee-shirt hanging off one bare shoulder, bare legs swinging while he helped Steve cook. It was something he never knew he wanted until just now. His head was stuffy with sleep, eyes bleary, mouth dry and all he could do was look. 

Tony was _beautiful_.

It was a little like looking at one of Steve’s paintings. Breathtaking and captivating and stealing Bucky’s breath away in ways he didn’t have the words to describe. Tony lit up like the sun, and Bucky was all too happy to be his moon, orbiting around him. 

Shaking his head, and his weirdly amorous morning thoughts, he pushed himself off the door frame. Shuffling forward, Bucky paused to poke Steve in the ass playfully before stepping between Tony’s knees, grinning when Tony hand fed him a blueberry. “Mornin’ again sweet thing.”

Tossing a blueberry into his own mouth, Tony grinned playfully, blue juice shining on his lip. “Mornin’ handsome.”

Bucky watched Steve turn, a big, devious smile taking up his face. “Good morning Bucky! I was just telling Tony about the time in high school when you ran naked through the cafeteria.”

Flushing, Bucky plucked a blueberry out of Tony’s hand and whipped it at Steve, growling when the blond caught it in his mouth with a smirk, chewing obnoxiously. 

“Shut up asshole.”

Steve, the beautiful jerk, roared with laughter, eyes crinkling as he whacked Bucky with his spatula, leaving a smear of oil on his chest before turning to flip a pancake. 

“Don’t listen to a word this giant says Tony, he’s a lying liar who lies.” 

Tony laughed, head thrown back and teeth gleaming in the early morning light. Bucky wanted to kiss him. He had to kiss him. He couldn’t kiss him. He shouldn’t kiss him. 

He kissed him. 

Quick and soft and sweet and Tony was smiling that gorgeous smile while Steve coo’d at them like they were a pair of kittens. Bucky didn’t even care. His jerk friend could make kissy faces all he wanted. Tony was all he could see anyway. He licked the juice off of Tony’s lip, reaching up to press a gentle kiss against the shorter man’s forehead. Tony’s giggles tapered off, smile going soft and sweet around the edges as he stared up at Bucky.

Bucky’s chest felt tight, happiness surprising him and choking him. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this enraptured by someone before. “You alright borrowing some clothes for the week dollface?”

“You really OK with me staying?”

Bucky opened his mouth, intent on banishing any doubts only to grunt when Steve bodychecked him out of the way, sweeping himself into Tony’s space, hips wiggling between Tony’s thighs. “Of course you’re staying! This is your home now munchkin.”

Shooting a wicked grin at Bucky, Steve crowded around Tony, smiling when he started giggling again. “Ready for breakfast?”

Between breathless laughter, Tony nodded, squeaking when Steve gathered him up in his arms and twirled them around the room, being sure to step over where Bucky was sprawled across the floor. “Get off the floor jerk, and grab the pancakes. We’re gonna have breakfast in front of the TV.”

Bucky watched Steve encourage Tony to wrap his legs around his waist, hands planted firmly on the younger man’s ass with a knowing smirk at a growling Bucky. “C’mon Tony, let's go cuddle up and make Bucky jealous.”

Bucky watched them saunter away, forcing the frown to fight down the delighted laughter bubbling up in his chest. “I’m telling Peggy!”

“Go ahead!”

Chuckling, Bucky climbed to his feet and started gathering up breakfast. Hearing Tony’s echoing laughter, Bucky smiled, steps bouncing as he snagged up the syrup and extra plates. He loved Steve in a way that was fierce and intense and full of loyalty and trust. But he could see himself loving Tony in a way that was consuming, fiery and everlasting.  
Taking a deep breath, Bucky stumbled into the living room, smiling at the sight Tony made, perched in Steve’s lap, chattering about something robotic. Steve was smiling along, an amused look on his face. 

“Eh, stop stepping out on your girl Stevie!”

Dropping the food on the table, Bucky stuck his tongue out at Steve as he snatched Tony into his arms, smiling at his giggling. “C’mon sweet thing, let's get you fed, away from _someone’s_ nasty, thieving hands.”

Plopping down in the armchair, Bucky nudged Tony into grabbing a plate and piling it with enough pancakes for the both of them. Steve grabbed his own plate, clicking on the TV as he did. They watched how DVD players were made as they ate, Bucky tickled pink each time Tony twisted to hold a forkful of food up to Bucky’s lips, smiling.

It was sappy and ridiculous and over the top but Bucky loved it. It was domestic. It was like Steve and Peggy. He hoped these next few days convinced Tony to actually come back after school. He just had to make sure Tony saw how wonderful it could be, here with him. 

-oo00oo-

“So, I gotta go to work. Gotta fix a radiator. You… You wanna come with me?”

Bucky watched Tony roll around on the floor, borrowed shirt bunched up around his hips in a way that had him practically drooling. Tony’s tools had dropped out of his pocket last night when he’d thrown his pants over the chair, all but one piece was accounted for. Tony had been crawling around the room on his hands and knees trying to find his last tool for nearly twenty minutes, torturing Bucky with every wriggle of his hips and tantalizing slip of skin. 

Groaning, Bucky bit down on his lip, eyes locked on the curve of Tony’s ass. “Ah, Tony?”

“Yeah, one sec. I see it under your bed, hang on.” 

Tony had been with them for two days now, two days of Tony in his bed, with him at the park, tearing apart and fixing (improving!) every appliance in their kitchen. Their toaster now had 37 settings. Bucky didn’t know there had been options before, and now he was completely bamboozled at the thought of having to find the right selection out of 37. 

Steve thought it was all hilarious. From Bucky trailing around after Tony like a lovesick puppy to Tony giving the refrigerator a rudimentary AI that told them when they were out of milk. Steve had taken to encouraging Tony, and teasing Bucky. Going so far as to lend the smaller man one of his own shirts to sleep in. And while Bucky was big, and his shirts hung off Tony’s shoulder, Steve was a giant and Tony could barely keep the shirt on. It was delicious torture. 

Bucky watched Tony flatten himself out, stretching under the bed to reach his wayward tool. He watched the wriggling hips and the flex of dusky olive thighs as Tony climbed under the bed, letting out a happy shout when he finally grabbed his missing tool. He watched the younger man climb out from under the bed, smiling when Tony carefully placed his tool back where it belonged. 

“You comin’ Tony?”

“Of course! Lemme change!” Tony bounced to his feet, scooping up his pants and shooing Bucky out of the room with a impish grin. “I’m gonna steal something from your closet, get out so I can make myself beautiful.”

Laughing, Bucky allowed himself to be herded out, leaning back so the door didn’t smack him in the face when Tony slammed it shut. While Tony would saunter around in an oversized shirt and his boxers all night and each morning with no shame, even when their friends were over, he insisted on being alone to change his shirt. Steve had suggested that he was probably shy about his bruising. While he couldn’t hide his wrist or neck, there was a good chance that he had some bruising under his shirt that he could hide. The entire conversation had made Bucky upset, wanting nothing more than to charge into the room and press his lips against every bruise he could find. 

Now he stood just outside the doorway, forehead pressed against the door, wanting to be there, if only in spirit, while Tony dealt with whatever it was that kept him modest around Bucky. He wouldn’t push, not while his budding relationship with Tony was so new and fragile, but he would be supportive where he could, even if it was like this, silently and secretly, just there incase Tony needed him. 

Taking a deep breath, Bucky pressed his palm against the door for a moment before turning to walk away. He needed to get his boots and see if his spare pair of steel-toes would fit Tony. Stepping over Clint, who was sleeping on the floor, curled up like a cat, Bucky waved at Steve before diving into the closet. He was sure he had a worn pair of boots that would fit Tony, even if he had to force him to wear a thick pair of wool socks to make it work. 

Digging through what was a truly impressive pile of shoes, Bucky grinned when he spotted his old biker boots. They had shrunk one winter after Bucky had stuck them in the dryer on Clint’s suggestion. They were still in good shape, scuffed and broken in, but no holes or cracks in the soles. They might even fit without the extra thick socks. Tossing them out behind him, Bucky brushed a hand down the sleeve of Steve’s suede bomber jacket, a gift from Mrs. Rogers, before following the boots out of the closet. 

He tried not to think about how Tony was going to look, wearing his boots and his shirt. He tried not to think about Tony’s feet, smooth and way too cute. Bucky tried to do all of this, convincing himself he could be strong, he could not stare at the exposed skin of Tony’s collarbone, imagining himself sinking his teeth into the jut of bone and the smooth stretch of skin. 

He was successful as he stooped to pick up the boots, knocking them together over Clint’s head to clear the dust, laughinging when the blonde had shot awake, sputtering like a pissed cat. He was successful all the way up until Tony showed up in the doorway. 

He was wearing his own jeans, as both Bucky and Steve's were comically large on him, but he had one of Bucky’s old ‘Joan Jett & The Heartbreakers’ tee’s on. The sleeves nearly reached his elbows, the neck hanging nearly off his shoulder. He had tucked the front in, letting the back hang out, he pulled off the look in an unfairly graceful way, and Bucky had never been happier to see someone else wear his favorite shirt. 

Tossing the boots over, Bucky smiled when Tony struggled to catch them, a dramatic pout on his face. “Put ‘em on. Can't break your delicate feet at the shop. If they fit, you can have them. I shrunk ‘em few years ago.”

“Thanks Ducky.” Dropping to the floor, Tony shucked off his worn out converse and tugged on the boots. “They seem to fit alright, little snug but they’ll stretch.”

Wandering forward, Bucky scooped up Tony’s discarded shoes to throw in the closet and paused to help him up off the floor. “Good, all yours. You ready?”

“Yuppers! Let's go fix a radiator!”

-oo00oo-

Tossing his rag on the bench, Bucky lifted his hands over his head, groaning as he stretched his back out. It hadn’t taken him long to fix the radiator, but the car had needed a complete tune-up along with it and Bucky couldn’t let the driver go without at least doing an oil change and changing the spark plugs. This, of course, had led him to having three other cars to tune up. Fury was a good boss, strict but fair, he always offered more jobs for Bucky to take if he wanted the extra dough, and he didn’t even blink when Bucky had tugged Tony into the shop behind him. He’d even given Tony the go ahead to tinker with the old shop classic that sat in the corner. 

Twisting, Bucky fixed his hair, tucking the stray strands back into the bun on top of his head, and wandered off to find his wayward friend. The shop classic was an old ‘45 Ford Coupe that Fury had towed in as payment from one of their regular customers. The body was in good shape, but the guts were junk. The old owner had tried to install an engine from an old Chevy, and he’d done a piss poor job of trying. 

Everyone who walked into Shield Cars for a job had to take a spin at trying to make the modern engine work with the ancient original parts. No one had been successful, Bucky had come close, but the old parts were too rusted and the connections too different. With Nick’s rule being that you could modify but you couldn’t add, he hadn’t been able to make it work. Got the job anyway, as did most people who managed to come close to fixing it, Fury was funny like that. 

Shaking out the tightness in his hands, Bucky ambled over to the old Ford, taking a moment to admire the sight Tony made, bent over into the hood of the car. His ripped jeans had a few more holes, and some dark spots that looked like grease and oil, Bucky could see the same stains snaking up his arms, in the creases of his elbow. 

“Hey Sweet Thing, you wanna head out and grab some grub?”

Bucky watched Tony push himself up, arms flexing, borrowed shirt hanging off his shoulder. He had grease on his forehead, and across his cheek. He watched Tony tuck his hair behind his ears, noticing, for the first time, the gauge in his ear along with the piercings on his tragus and helix. Something pulled in his gut, especially when he saw the smudge on the back of Tony’s neck, dark and deliberate. A tattoo. 

Bucky’s mouth went dry with the sudden _need_ to sink his teeth into that tattoo. How had he not noticed that in two days?

“Yeah, lemme close this up and we can go. Does the pirate have keys for this thing?”

Fury stomped around the back of the car, coffee mug in his fist, keys dangling from his other hand. “Something you want to say Mr. Stark?”

Grinning, Tony saluted after he dropped the hood, eyes sparkling. “Yeah, you’re a pirate. Now. Start her up big boy.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows when Fury actually slid into the driver's seat, coffee mug still in his hand when he turned the key. The engine choked once before roaring to life. 

“Holy shit! You got it to work!” Reaching out, Bucky wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders, pride swelling in his chest. “Good fucking work Sweet Thing!”

Fury revved the engine a few times before shutting it off. He climbed out, coffee sloshing around his hand as he did. “If you ever want a job, you come let me know.”

Sticking his hand out, Tony shook Fury’s hand, broad smile on his face. “Deal Cyclops.”

Fury waved them both away, something that was almost a smile on his face. “Bring him with you on Friday Barnes, I’ll see if I can't find something else for him to play with. Your money is on your table, now get the fuck out.”

Tony wrapped his arm around Bucky, still beaming. “Well, he is just a basket of kittens.”

Leaning over, Bucky tilted Tony’s chin up, smiling down at him before dropping a fiery kiss to his lips. “Good work Tony, seriously. That was amazing.”

“It was nothing, it was mostly done. I just had to make a few things fit out of what was there. It’s a pity he doesn’t have the original engine. The ‘45 was a cool car. Where we grabbing lunch?”

“Burgers alright?”

“Perfect.”

Tugging on Tony’s gauge with a smile, Bucky snagged his money from his table before leading him out of the shop and down the street to Antonio’s Street Burgers _‘Best In Brooklyn!’_. Bucky bought them both burgers and a large order of fries to share, getting them in foil so they could walk around the park while they ate. It was scarily close to a date, which Bucky had said they couldn’t do until after Tony graduated. Along with both of them, _Bucky_ , agreeing that they shouldn’t go any further than a few kisses and bed sharing. 

Bucky considered it the ultimate test of his dedication to his future with Tony. He insisted that they both needed to be in the right place before they decided to actually date. It seemed to be heavily implied that they had no plans of seeing other people in the final four months Tony had left at MIT. It was probably a wise choice, Bucky didn’t know if he’d be able to handle the thought of Tony cuddled up to another person. 

They ate their burgers, sharing their fries as they walked, hands brushing. It was a relatively cool summer day, breezy and bright, the park was full of parents with kids and teenagers on cell phones, but all Bucky noticed was the way the sun shone through Tony’s hair. He was so gone it wasn’t even funny. He felt like he should be terrified of how fast this whole thing with Tony was moving, but all he felt was relief. Tony was comfortable and exciting. He reminded Bucky of Steve in a lot of ways, and who better to be compared to then Mr. Superman?

Gathering their garbage, Bucky tossed it in the nearest trashcan, wiping his hands on his jeans before taking Tony’s hand in his, arms swinging between them. He led them up the path toward the road, purposefully stretching his gait so Tony had to jog to keep up, giggling as he did. Pulling them to a stop, Bucky took a moment to bend his own rules a little so he could wrap his arms around Tony. 

“Thanks for coming with me today Doll.”

Twisting, Tony wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist, smile wide. “Of course Buckaroo. I wanted to spend time with you. I kinda like you.”

“I kinda like you too.” Leaning down, Bucky brushed their lips together softly, coveting the sweet gasp that Tony let out. “I really kinda like you.”

Tony tightened his arms. “I kinda wanna be your boyfriend. Can we do that without doing anything else? I know we talked about taking it slow. And I’m cool with that. But I don’t wanna take it slow with you while you take it fast with someone else or while I do that at school. I wanna only do that with you. I wanna go fast or slow or whatever with you.”

“Tony…”

“Please Bucky? We don’t have to call it boyfriends. We can call it… Exclusive Friends! Just. Only us. Is that alright?”

Feeling warm, Bucky brushed his knuckles across the smudge of grease on Tony’s cheek, smiling at the hopeful expression on the younger man’s face. “Yeah Tony. We can be Exclusive Friends. Let’s save boyfriends until at least Thanksgiving Break, yeah? We should at least try to resist. A little.”

Beaming, Tony pushed up on his tiptoes and kissed Bucky, hard and fast, before jumping back with a delighted laugh. Bucky smiled, heart fluttering in his chest, this was probably too fast, but he couldn’t seem to want to stop. Tony was a forest fire, raging and hot and consuming, Bucky wanted to stand in his way and let him and all of his excitable passion sweep through him. He could _breath_ now. Tony was incredible.

Shaking his head, Bucky reached out to tug Tony back to him, too caught up in the bloom of _new_ to pay attention to anything but Tony’s ridiculous smile. Neither of them noticed the bike courier until a shout had them both turning, too slow to do anything but watch as the bike and its rider slammed into Tony, sending the small man crashing to the ground with a hoarse cry. 

“Shit! Tony!” Leaping forward, Bucky pulled the bike and its rider up, thinking clearly enough to set the guy on his feet before crouching down to check on Tony. 

“Oh my god, dude I’m so sorry! You alright? He alright? Oh god, I’m so so sorry!”

Sparing a glance for the courier, Bucky slid a hand behind Tony’s head and felt around for any lumps. His eyebrow was split, probably from the biker’s helmet, and he was holding his ribs in a very concerning way. “You able to get up Sweet Thing?”

“Yeah, just gimme a sec.”

“Sure thing.”

Bucky watched, concern churning his stomach as Tony rolled forward so he was sitting up, arm clenching tighter around his chest. “Oh, I think I broke a rib.”

“C’mon, let’s get you up and to the hospital.”

“No! No hospital!”

“Tony…”

“NO! Bucky. James. No. No doctors, no hospital. No. Promise me.”

“Tony, honey…”

“Bucky, I mean it. Please. _Please!_ ”

Bucky felt his resolve crumble under the devastatingly scared look on Tony’s face. Damn. “Okay. But you have to let me look at ya when we get home. Under the shirt Tony. It’s that or the hospital. Deal?”

Bucky watched Tony blink back tears, lower lip wobbling slightly. “Deal.”

Swiping a thumb under Tony’s eye, Bucky shuffled forward and scooped Tony up bridal style, lifting him easily. His concern only grew when Tony didn’t even complain, just sighed and twisted to bury his face in Bucky’s shoulder. 

“Hey, he gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, you okay? Your bike alright?”

The guy nodded, helmet wiggling on his head comically. “Yeah, yeah, a bent spoke or two but it’ll ride. You wanna trade info? I mean. If he’s hurt. I dunno.”

Wiggling his elbow to jostle Tony, Bucky smiled down at the grumpy expression on the brunettes face. “Tony?”

Lifting his chin to lock eyes with the courier, Tony smirked a little, eyes warm. “Don’t worry about it man. I’ve got my trusty steed here and more’n enough money to fix me up if I need a doctor. You okay?”

“Yeah! I mean, yeah. You sure?”

“Yeah, go on before you’re too late for your delivery. Be careful.”

“You too man.” The biker patted Tony on the knee with a gracious expression, shoulders still around his ears, tension in every line of his body as he swung his leg back over his bike.

They watched him ride off, Bucky’s arms shifting Tony around until he felt sure he would be able to carry him the two blocks home. 

“I can walk you know.”

“I know. But let me carry you. I need to make sure you’re okay.” Pressing a kiss to the crown of his head, Bucky took a long moment to breathe Tony in, only just realizing how fast and loud his heart had been pounding. 

“I’ll be fine Bucky.” Tony’s voice was whisper soft as he lifted a hand to press his knuckles to Bucky’s cheek, those honey brown eyes bright and warm. 

“I know. I just. I know.”

“Okay.” Looping his arm around Bucky’s shoulder, turning to tuck his face back into Bucky’s shoulder, long, slow exhale warming Bucky from the inside. 

-oo00oo-

It only took Bucky an extra few minutes to get home while carrying Tony, his arms were barely even tired when he set him down on the bed. For his part, Tony had barely moved, his breathing was slow and deliberate, and Bucky was all but cursing himself for not insisting on the hospital in spite of those ridiculous pleading eyes. 

“Okay, let me go grab some ace bandages and ice packs, you chill here for a minute. I’ll help you get your shirt off when I get back, ‘kay?”

“Bucky, really, I’m fine.”

“We had a deal Tony. This or hospital.”

Bucky watched Tony sigh heavily, chin dropping down onto his chest. “Okay.”

“Good, stay here.” Brushing a hand through Tony’s hair, Bucky turned and swept out of the room. He snagged a bottle of water, a few ice packs, a really kind of gross looking ace bandage and some aspirin before heading back to Tony. He gave himself a minute, taking a few deep, calming breaths. This whole situation had him on edge. He hated seeing people get hurt. Especially people he knows. People he cares about. 

It had always bugged him,even when he was younger, back before Stevie hit puberty. When they were young Stevie had been nothing more than a scrap of a boy, thin and sick and delicate and bull headed and stubborn and always picking fights with bullies. Bucky had damn near swallowed his heart every time he found his small friend right in the middle of it. It was just as bad when he sat up with his friend when Stevie couldn’t catch his breath, asthma sucking him dry. 

Now, after the war, after the explosion and surgeries and amputation and prosthetic, now it was even worse. Now when he saw someone get hurt it was like his mind got set on fire. He suddenly only knew _panic_ and _protect_ and _save him, save them, **helpthemhelpthemhelpthem**_. After it all, Bucky was a lot mixed up, and seeing people, seeing Tony, _his Tony_ , get hurt, it nearly shut him down. He didn’t really know how to handle this stress. But, for Tony, he was damn well gonna learn.

Squaring his shoulder, Bucky marched into his room with a determined stride, ready to handle anything thrown his way. Tony looked small on the bed, hunched over the arm around his chest, breathing still careful and precise. He smiled at Bucky, and Bucky felt his heart stutter again. 

_Damn did he like Tony._

“Okay babe, let’s get you naked, yeah?”

Laughing, Tony seemed to relax for the first time since that bike crashed into him, eyes looking a little less shadowed. Bucky dropped his supplies on the bed, taking a moment to rub his hands together, hoping some friction will warm his metal hand up enough to not make Tony flinch. 

“Alright, arms as high as you can honey.”

He watched with concern as Tony lifted his hands like they were cut from marionette strings, barely able to lift them above his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Bucky gathered up Tony’s borrowed shirt in his hands, lifting it slowly, gently guiding it over his head and up his arms, suddenly much happier that Tony was borrowing Bucky’s clothes. He didn’t know if he would have been able to do that quite as smoothly if Tony had been wearing his own shirt. 

Tossing the shirt on the bed, Bucky took a step back and sucked in a sharp breath. “Jesus, Tony.”

Tony’s ribs were darkening steadily, a nasty bruise forming down his left side, there was a pretty nasty gash on his hipbone, probably from hitting the ground. Bucky glanced at the ink he saw peaking from Tony’s right side before turning away. “I’m going to go grab some peroxide and band aids, don’t move Doll.”

Bucky went as fast as he could throughout the apartment, snagging some paper towels and the peroxide. They didn’t have many band aids but they had gauze and medical tape, which would probably work better. Taking another steadying breath, Bucky barged back into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. 

“Alright Sweet Thing, let’s get this party started. You wanna lay down or stay sitting while I patch up that cut?”

Smiling, Tony shook his head at Bucky, body shifting to make room on the bed. “I’ll sit. Easier for when you ice me up.”

“Alright. Hold still.” Settling down beside Tony, Bucky dumped some peroxide on a paper towel, pausing to kiss Tony’s shoulder before he began dabbing at the wound. “This isn’t nearly as bad as I thought. You must be a bleeder. Turn a little, let me get your eyebrow too.”

Smiling, Bucky pressed a reassuring kiss to Tony’s cheek, hoping to ease his tension. “Relax honey. I’ve got you.”

“I know.”

“Breathe.”

Tony took a deep, shuddering breath. Tension rolling out of his shoulders little by little as Bucky cleaned up his face, pressing some tape over gauze on his side, just to be sure, before pressing one of their only band aides to the cut over his eyebrow, pointedly pressing loud, smacking kisses to each spot once he was done. Tony giggled, the last of the stress seeming to finally let out of his posture. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“No, I’m a doctor!” Sticking his tongue out, Bucky felt a spike triumph when Tony giggled harder. Bucky took a minute to admire the ink he could finally get his eyes on. The words, beautifully scripted Italian that wrapped around the right side of his torso.

_“Porto sventura a chi bene mi vuole!_  
_Fu in quel dolore_  
_che a me venne l'amor!_  
_Voce piena d'armonia e dice_  
_Vivi ancora! Io son la vita!_  
_Ne' miei occhi è il tuo cielo!  
_Tu non sei sola!”__

____

The patch of flowers on the inside of his right bicep, a sprawl of what looked like arborvitaes, violets and forget-me-nots twisting around a lotus flower. Brushing a hand over his injured ribs, Bucky felt for any breaks, happy to note that nothing shifted under his fingers. Hopefully just some heavy bruising. Snagging a few ice packs, Bucky dropped them in his lap and nudged Tony.

“Turn honey, let me do this from behind so I don’t have to make you twist.”

“Uh, can we do it this way?” Tony had a smile Bucky had never seen before, timid, almost… _embarrassed_?

“We can, but it’s gonna hurt. Better if you just turn around so you can hold these ice packs for me.”

Tony blinked at him, slow breaths making his chest move against Bucky’s fingers. “Alright. Yeah. Alright.”

Bucky watched him turn, careful not to twist as he shifted until his back was turned. Bucky noticed the star tattoo on the nape of his neck first. He noticed the scars second. And the dash of what looked like computer code inked onto his lower back third. 

“Oh, Tony.”

Reaching out with trembling hands, Bucky had to shut his eyes against the tears he felt when he touched his fingers to the scar that looked like a belt buckle. Leaning forward, Bucky pressed trembling lips to the scar under his fingers, not stopping the few tears that slipped out. 

Tony was nearly silent as Bucky finally managed to pull himself together enough to begin wrapping the bandage around him, tight enough to hold the ice packs in place but not tight enough to restrict him. He paused every few seconds to press his lips against that star tattoo on the nape of Tony’s neck, determined to get that tension out of his shoulders. 

He was almost afraid to break the quiet spell on them. But he craved Tony’s voice. He needed to know he wasn’t scaring him away. Bucky needed Tony to know that nothing had changed. Even as he pressed his lips to that black star over and over, he needed him to know that Bucky didn’t want anything to change about them. he needed to hear Tony’s voice. “What does your tattoo say?”

__**“Porto sventura a chi bene mi vuole!  
** __**Fu in quel dolore  
** __**che a me venne l'amor!  
** __**Voce piena d'armonia e dice  
** __**Vivi ancora! Io son la vita!  
** _**Ne' miei occhi è il tuo cielo!  
_**Tu non sei sola!**_**_

_**_**__** _ ** _ ****

__

__****

____**I bring misfortune to all those who loves me!  
** __**It was in that grief  
** __**That love came to me!  
** __**A voice full of harmony and it says:  
** __**'You have to live! I am the life itself!  
** _**Your heaven is in my eyes  
_**You're not alone!”**_ **_

_**_****_ ** _

_**_****_ ** _

Bucky swallowed, heat pooling in his stomach when Tony’s sang in flawless Italian. He didn’t even have a New York accent. HIs voice was soft and melodic. Bucky suddenly wanted to hear him sing a complete repertoire of music. He didn’t think he’d get tired of it. “You have a gorgeous voice Doll. What’s that from?”

“[La Mamma Morta](https://youtu.be/xXzeEfH6PTk), Italian opera mia mamma loves.”

“Hmm. I could listen to you speak Italian all day Honey.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

Tony laughed, and Bucky pressed his smile against Tony’s shoulder. “Say something sexy.”

Giggling, Tony twisted his shoulders to smile at Bucky with that damn breathtaking smile of his, eyes impish and bright. “Something sexy.”

“Oh my gosh! You fucking dork!” Grabbing the back of Tony’s head, Bucky blew raspberries right against the younger man’s laughing mouth, grinning when Tony sputtered. 

Winding his arms around Tony’s shoulders, Bucky pulled him back against his chest, fingers teasing along jutting collarbones. Tony rubbed their cheeks together, his smooth cheeks teasing over Bucky’s stubble. His voice was light, sweet. “Thank you for answering the phone.”

Closing his eyes, Bucky took a moment to catch his breath. This was almost never his. If he had called and told Tony earlier that he had the wrong number. If he had deleted the voicemails. If he hadn’t answered the phone, he would have never met Tony. And this man, this brilliant light would have disappeared. 

Tightening his arms, Bucky pressed their cheeks together. “Anytime you need me Doll, you call and I’ll pick up the phone.”

“Promise?”

Bucky squeezed his eyes against the vulnerable shake in Tony’s voice, wanting to take his hurt away. “Promise.”


End file.
